Watch Keeping

[EdWingfield]

I discovered this year, similar to csail and whippersnapper, that when short handed with only myself as night sail experienced that when I eventually became very tired I'd leave the missus to sleep on and I'd set the kitchen timer to 20 mins - allowing 15m cat naps.

This was off Lincolnshire, where nothing much happens of course.

 

[terrywilson1234]

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If just 24 hours, it may be a case of 'suck it and see'.

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Agree. I did an over nighter recently where neither of us felt like sleeping at all so IMHO there are no fixed rules.

IMHO informally agreeing it as you go along is the only sensible answer.

With 2 for such a short time is I reckon it's far better if rather that doing fixed watches there's an agreed time period 'off' IYSWIM. So, when one of you goes of watch he gets two/three/four solid hours off. Then he gets up makes coffee and food as required, faffs about with oilies, and comes up. Then the next person gets his solid two/three/four hours off. The advantages are obvious. Running watches to the hour makes sense on a battleship or on a 4 week cruise but not really between a couple of mates on an overnight jolly. Of course if you're doing well on the helm there's no need to get the other guy up bang on time - what goes around comes around.

IRL the problem I always have is you get down to the boat after work, both of you are completely unable to sleep 'till 11:30 then all of a sudden both of you are gagging for some shut eye. So one of you (me!) has to do 12am-3am which is not always a job after a day at work.

Mind you, you've gotta do what works for yourselves, haven't you! For all we know the other guy might be working night shifts in a hospital and turn up at 8:30pm on a Friday after a day's sleep eager to stay up 'till 9am on Saturday morning!

 

[chris220954]

Hi there ,as an ex merchant marine officer i would strongly recomened that you do 6 on 6 off,the problems with 2/2 or 4/4 is that after a little while you will be very tired and worn out,where as with the 6/6 system you tend to get some time to unwind aswell after your watch is finished,but i also agree with Twisterowner that the system used on finnish sailing ships sounds quite good,and one last thing,dont forget that you dont have to start watches at 1800 or midnight,you can always start at 1500 til 2100 then 2100 til 0300,,because believe me the midnight to 0600 will be a bummer,nice sun rises i admit but very tireing,

 

[dratsea]

Coastal or Ocean?

Sailing to Ireland or accross North Sea to Norway then 2hrs or 3 hrs watches make sense. For a five week passage you need a good sleep once every 24 hrs. He/she what does cooking (and teaching children) does 0000-0400 and covers 1-3 hr kip after lunch. She/he gets 4hrs kip plus a bit in the afternoon if she/he can. Both still kn@ackered after five weeks but will probably get there, 2 hrs on 2 off disaster looms.

Small extra tip, set off after lunch on first day.

John

 

[terrywilson1234]

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Coastal or Ocean?

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A 24 hour ocean crossing?

 

[chasroberts]

Barbate - Tangier? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[maxi77]

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Something similar would be a good thing on yachts, both making sure the on watch person didn't sleep for too long and also allowing the off watch person to relax more because they will be awakened if the waychkeeper falls asleep.

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Agree that an alarm can be useful, but sailing 24 hour 2 handed the watchkeeper must be awake and alert, and there is no reason why this should not be the case. The timer mustn't be used as an excuse to relax.

Single handed is another issue, and the risks go up.

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Sory if I gave the impression the timer was to allow the watchkeeper to relax, it is to allow the OFF watchkeeper to relax and keep the ON watchkeeper alert because he has to keep reseting the alarm before it goes off and wakes the one supposed to be resting.

The length of watch is always a balance, short is good for theone on watch but not good for the one off watch. Whilst I was in the submarine service we started changing from 4 hour watches to 6 hour watches to improve the rest periods and there was a lot to be said for that, although we had more people on watch at any time.

 

[webcraft]

<span style="color:white"> . </span>
We always use 3 and 3 and it seems to work well - we've never felt any inclination to try anything else.

During the night it is compulsory for the off watch person to go to bed, during the day it is optional.

- W

 

[schroop]

Do you know of any resources to find partners for 2 handed racing - I would love to do some but have no boat?

 

[Refueler]

Having done just that - we were supposed to do watches, but ended up loosely timed. He'd lay out and sleep, wake up and I'd go nod off. No set to it but remembering that we both needed to be up for landfall and berthing.

24hrs is not really long enough for any real set-up. Cat-naps can get you through that in fact.

 

[Refueler]

The OP did say 24hrs run.

But on a longer one - having had the MN system of 4 on 8 off and when necessary the 6 on 6 off ..... plus when in war zones we had the doubled system of 2 support role on radar, 4 as primary OOW then 2 back on support ... I can honestly say that I wouldn't do it on a yacht. Simple reason being that I would want to stagger the day - night periods so that each has a period in it. Say 5 on 4 off or some such to move the watchkeeping in steps. But then we are talking long trips.
I used to hate waking up for 4-8 watch not knowing if it was morning or afternoon - opening deadlight and getting sun in the face ! Like walking out of the pub at lunchtime after a skinful ! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif